A new Michigan State University study should be a wake-up call for anyone concerned about the future of our children — and our state. It shows that Michigan ranked dead last among all 50 states for improvement in fourth-grade math and reading proficiency between 2003 and 2015.

This is a dire warning. We already knew Michigan ranked in the bottom third of states for proficiency on those measures. And now we’ve learned we’re the worst at making things better.

How can we halt this seemingly inexorable decline and begin to bend the trend lines for student achievement into positive territory? I would argue that, even as we strive to improve our K–12 system, we must invest more in our children’s education from birth.